JARGON BUSTER

1

SRAM RED ETAP Launched in 2015, Red eTap was SRAM’s first foray into electronic groupsets. While SRAM was some way behind its major competitors – Shimano and Campagnolo had been using electronic systems for years – it jumped ahead of both by becoming the first to dispense with cables and operate wirelessly.

2

SPROCKET Sprockets make up the cassette on your rear wheel, which is attached to the freehub and held in place by a lockring. In the case of eTap XRS, the sprockets make up two blocks pinned together to produce the whole, but on many designs sprockets can be individual, particularly as they get smaller.

3

CLUTCH MECH A rear derailleur with an uprated spring or friction bush acting on the jockey wheel cage. It increases tension in the lower chain and stops it falling off. SRAM clutch mechs are fixed tension, while Shimano’s have an on/ off switch and useradjustable tension. The eTap AXS doesn’t need one.

4

GEAR RATIO The number of times the back wheel rotates for each full turn of the pedals. For example, on the eTap AXS, the largest ring on what is effectively the double chainset has 50 teeth and the smallest has 10 teeth, which means the ratio is 5:1 and the wheel will turn five times for every pedal revolution.